Look After You
by chocolatemud14
Summary: Nathan Scott had been missing for exactly seven weeks, and the town of Tree Hill had been desolate without the presence of its basketball star. Lucas returns to the small town to bring his brother back home, with the help of Julian and Chris Keller. Can Dan and Lucas put aside their differences to save Nathan? A one-shot, rewrite of episode 9x10. Please read and review.


_Hey Guys! The idea for this came to me after re-watching episode 9x10, and I thought about how it would be if Lucas were there. Let me know what you think, **please review! **_

**Look After You **

Nathan Scott had been missing for exactly seven weeks, and the town of Tree Hill had been desolate without the presence of its basketball star. Haley had walked around town numb ever since she knew Nathan wasn't on that plane from Europe. Her only remaining hope at finding Nathan was going to Dan, Tree Hill's resident villain.

Haley was in the kitchen contemplating this decision when her cell phone rang. "Luke," she answered. "Are you OK? Are Jamie and Lydia OK?!" Her heart rate quickened in a panic and she clutched the counter for support.

_"I'm fine, Hales. Everyone's fine. I'm just...are you home?" _

"Yeah, I am. Quinn's here. Why?"

_"Because I'm outside," Lucas said. "And it's a little chilly." _

"You're...you're what?" Haley turned to Quinn who was in the middle of eating a toaster pastry. She held her cell phone to her shoulder and whispered to her sister, "Luke's here," she said, noting Quinn's surprised expression and rushing to the front door.

Even though she had seen Lucas only last week when he'd arrived to take Jamie and Lydia, Haley lunged at her best friend like she hadn't seen him in years, enveloping him in a crushing hug. "What're you doing here?" she asked, with tears in her eyes.

Lucas gave Quinn a quick hug before Haley closed the door behind them.

"I've been thinking," Lucas said. "Ever since we sat in that airport...there had to be more I could do than just take the kids," he said. "And there is. I want to help find Nathan."

"Luke... I mean you..." Haley ran a hand through her hair. "Dan's finding Nathan."

Lucas sighed, his piercing blue eyes burning in the late afternoon light. "I'll do whatever I have to do to bring Nathan home. Even if it means working with Dan. Where is he?"

Haley took Lucas' hand and squeezed it tightly. "In Julian's empty soundstage. He's in a trailer."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Of all the things he expected to see in the trunk of Dan Scott's car, Julian Baker didnt expect... "Jesus Christ, is that guy dead?"

"He's our friend the drug dealer," Dan answered, his voice void of any emotion. The two men stared down at Dimitri, as his head lay loosely against the trunk of the red car, his nose and mouth covered in blood and his eyes swollen.

Julian shut his eyes as the taste of vomit crept up his throat. "No no no...I don't see that. I do not see that."

"You mean this guy?" Dan asked. "He's right there."

"He's not...you can't kill people in my soundstage! Oh, oh...fuck me, I'm going to jail..." Julian sank down in his desk chair and buried his head in his hands.

"Let's hope not. They'll like you there," Dan said.

"There's a dead guy in my soundstage!" Julian repeated, as if the idea was ludicrous to him, his eyes bug eyed and wide in fear and anger.

"Julian," Dan said calmly, his voice and tone even. "Will you relax? He's not dead." Dan turned to Dimitri and stared at him. "Ok, well maybe he is a little bit."

"I can't...I can't go to jail. You're right, they'll like me there. Oh my...shit, they're going to like me in prison. I can't go to prison, Dan!" Julian advanced on Dan and bravely grabbed him by the scuff of his black shirt. "I have a family!"

Dan shoved Julian and he backed away a few steps. "Nobody's going to prison. Will you just calm down? We're the only two people who know about this." Dan and Julian looked down at Dimitri's unmoving body, Dan remained ambivalent and Julian looked like he was going to throw up.

"Whoa, is that guy dead?" Chris Keller asked, when he appeared from behind the two men. He wore a look of morbid curiosity behind his black framed glasses.

"OK, three people know. Four, counting Haley," Dan said.

"Five."

All three men turned at the sound of assured footsteps walking across the soundstage, to see none other than Lucas, wearing jeans, a black shirt and his black leather jacket. "Add another one to your count, Dan?" he asked evenly, hatred falling from his normally calm blue eyes.

"Well well, the Prodigal Son returns," Chris said, leaning against the trunk of his car. "Where you been, Luke?"

"What're you doing here, Lucas?" Dan asked.

"I'm here to help you find Nate." Lucas took one look at Chris and added, "Although I don't know what the hell you're doing here."

Chris raised his hands in defense. "Hey, hey, I'm here to help. I saw Haley crying in her car and I knew enough was enough."

"How'd you see Haley crying in her car?" Lucas asked angrily. "Were you following her?"

"Maybe..." Lucas advanced on Chris and he took a few steps behind Julian. "Look, I was worried, OK? This whole thing worries me. I assume this guy knows where Nate is, did he tell you?"

"He told me," Dan answered, carrying a duffell bag full of empty guns and ammunition. "I'm gonna get him and bring him home."

"Then I want to help," Chris volunteered, his voice high and hopeful.

Dan stopped in his tracks. "You'd be as much use to me as the dead guy in the trunk," he said. "Go home, Keller." However, Dan said nothing to Lucas or Julian as they looked at him.

"Oh come on-"

"I said go home," Dan said. "All of you should go."

"You can't get Nathan alone," Lucas said. "Who knows how many guys are holding him."

"I still think we should go to the cops," Julian said. "This is too real."

"No, no cops," Dan said, slinging the bag full of guns into the backseat of the car.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't trust them," Dan answered, going back to his table where he set up guns and more ammo.

"You think they're involved?" Lucas asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I went there last night. It's a warehouse underneath the interstate. I studied the guards and their shift patterns. The entrances, exits. A patrol car came and left. All I know is Nathan's in there, and he's alive." Dan picked up two handguns, one silver, and one black, and walked back towards Lucas and Julian.

"You sure?" Chris asked. "Nathan's alive, I mean."

"He has to be," Lucas answered, eying the guns warily.

"Why would they guard the place if he wasn't?" Dan asked. "He's my son. He's alive." Dan turned to Julian, "You're right. This is real. And it's gonna be messy. These guys are professionals; theres' a half-dozen or so." He paused, looked Lucas in the eye and swallowed hard. "But they're holding Nathan. My son. Your friend," he glanced to Chris and Julian, "Haley's husband," and his eyes landed on the son he abandoned. "Your little brother. I'm going back there tonight, and I'm not leaving without him." Dan took a deep breath as the moment of realization hit him hard. "I need some help."

"Then let me in this," Chris begged. "Please. I've got nothing to lose," he gestured towards Lucas and Julian, "these guys do."

"I'll help you," Lucas said, taking a deep breath. "But it's not because you're my father. My brother is missing. His wife and children need him."

"I'll help too," Julian said, breaking the tense silence. "It's Nathan."

"Me too," Chris said, standing about three inches taller.

Dan grabbed another handgun from the back of his jeans, and handed one each to Lucas, Julian, and Chris. They handled them gingerly and Chris looked awestruck. Julian looked afraid and Lucas was wearing the same old brooding look he always did. In flashes, he remembered the last time he held a gun: senior year of high school, and he was pointing it right between Dan's eyes.

"You guys ever shoot? Ever handle a gun, rifle, any kinda weapon?" Dan asked, looking back towards Lucas. "I know you have."

Julian looked gutted and Chris looked wide-eyed. "What is up with this family? Chris Keller doesn't like this."

Dan studied the looks on the men's faces as they held the guns. "I don't like this either."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The North Carolina sun was beating down on the men relentlessly as they stood in a patch of open ground. They stacked empty crates and set empty beer bottles atop them to practice shooting. Lucas took a deep breath and thought of his two and a half year-old Sawyer, who was probably up and having brunch with Peyton. As if on cue, his phone went off in a phone call from his wife.

"Hi beautiful," he answered gently, the sound of her voice lifting him up.

_ "Hi baby. What're you doing?" _

Lucas looked around him. "Just...hanging out with Julian. I'm going back to see Haley again later," he lied, flinching. If Peyton knew what he was actually doing she would flip out and be all nervous from where she was, and Lucas didn't need that.

"_How is she?" _

"Barely holding on. It's awful to see."

_"God, I can't imagine. The thought of losing you scares me half to death, Luke..." _

Lucas could hear her tearing up over the phone. The whole ordeal had been terribly emotional for Peyton, who hadn't stopped tearing up at random moments since she heard of Nathan's disappearance. "Hey, Peyt," Lucas said over the phone. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Just...maybe try drawing something? Read a good book, paint on the porch. I'll be home before you know it, baby."

_"I'll try. Will you call later tonight to put Sawyer to bed?" _

"Of course I will." Lucas turned to see Dan sawing away at a machine gun, and reality started to slowly seep in. He suddenly ached to be in his wife's arms. "I love you so much."

_"I love you too. Speak to you later."_

Lucas shut his phone as Julian walked up to him. "It's good to see you Luke," he said. "How're Peyton and Sawyer?"

"They're great. I just got off the phone with them. Sawyer's growing up so fast, I can't believe it. I just want time to stop, you know?"

"Ladies," Dan shouted from where he stood with his refurbished shotgun. "Less talking, more shooting."

Chris, Lucas and Julian aimed their handguns at the beer bottles, Chris missing by yards and Lucas and Julian missing by inches.

"Jesus," Chris said. He aimed and shot his gun and missed by inches too. "Oh! I'm getting closer! I should get extra points for that."

"Yeah, because that's gonna work when you're up against real live men," Dan said, polishing off the shot gun.

"Yeah, Chris Keller was thinking he'd kinda hang back and offer moral support from afar. Be a look-out, maybe?"

"Seriously, what the hell are you doing here?" Lucas asked, though his question got no answer.

"What about you Julian, is this about hanging back for you too?"

"No," Julian answered evenly, before aiming his gun, squinting and shooting to miss the bottle by centimeters.

"Jesus!" Chris shouted, cowering back.

"You sure you thought this thing through, Keller?" Dan asked, walking towards them.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You doing this for you, or for Haley? If you don't bring Nathan back, you failed her. If you do, you lose her anyway. Once Nathan comes home, you're out of the picture."

"So are you," Lucas interjected, putting down his gun. "Once Nathan gets back, you lose it all. So from where I stand it's worse for you than it is for him. He loses what he never had, but somehow, someway you had it all. Jamie, Lydia, Nathan. It's all gone. You were never part of that family."

Chris looked between Lucas and Dan, unsure of what to say and not knowing if it would really matter.

"If you came here to just tell me what I already knew than you can go," Dan said. "I don't need this."

"I'm not going anywhere. Nathan's my only brother and I'm bringing him home."

"He wasn't always," Dan shot back, and Julian stood between the two men.

"Guys come on. We're here now. We need to work together. It won't work if we're divided like this, they'll use it against us."

Dan studied Julian for a moment before asking, "What's your role in all this? Is this still because you left your kid in the car?"

"You left your kid in the car?" Lucas asked, confused. "What happened?"

"No," Julian answered Dan. "Nathan's my friend."

"Not really. He's more of an acquaintance. Nobody lays down their life for an acquaintance."

"I just need to believe that when somebody does wrong, somebody else will stand up to them. They'll fight back. Nathan's a good man." Julian loaded his handgun and aimed at the beer bottles. "He deserves a good life." Julian pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet hit the beer bottle perfectly.

"Oh!" Chris shouted, and Lucas did the aimed, shot and hit the next beer bottle.

Dan loaded up the shotgun and fired, sending the beer bottles scattering, and half the crate to blow off.

"Shit," Chris swore. "I want one of those."

"Keep practicing."

"And then what?" Julian asked.

"We wait until dark. Then we fight back."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Haley was meandering around her empty living room, with Quinn trying to calm her with the television. "Haley," she said. "Your cellphone's ringing."

Haley ran to it, thinking for a second that she would hear Nathan's voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?!"

_"Haley? It's Peyton." _

At the sound of her friend's voice, Haley immediately began to cry. "Hi," she said.

_"Do you feel like talking?" Peyton asked gently. _

"I don't..." The tears began to fall and soon Haley was inconsolable. "This is a nightmare," she sobbed. "I just want him to come home!"

_"Oh, honey. I can't imagine what this feels like and how much this hurts. I wish there was more I could do. I feel so helpless." _

"I'm just glad Luke is here," Haley said, wiping at her eyes.

_"Is he there yet?" Peyton wondered. "He said he was with Julian and was going to come visit later." _

"No...I haven't seen him since this morning. He asked about Dan..." Haley's eyes widened and she bit her lip.

_"Why would he ask about Dan?"_

Oh, shit. Lucas had wanted to help Dan and Peyton had no idea about it. "Um...Dan's trying to find Nathan...and Lucas is going to help him. Like, go get him." There was a long, silent pause on the other end of the line. "...Peyton?"

_"He WHAT?!" _

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was nightfall in Tree Hill. The streets had emptied and homes were full. Julian, Chris, and Lucas were with Dan in that red car, and they had set up stake out in front of the warehouse. "Ok, here's how it's going to go." Dan gestured to the guard standing in front of the warehouse holding a machine gun. "That moron goes inside to eat around this time every night. Then another guard takes his place." Dan turned to Julian in the backseat, who was sitting next to Lucas. "That gives you about 30 seconds to cut the lock on the gate and get back to the car."

"I got this," Julian said, before exiting the car with the pliers and running toward the gate to clip the lock, his figure disappearing in the darkness.

"Lock the doors," Dan commanded of Chris and Lucas.

"What?"

"Lock the doors!"

Lucas locked the doors at the last second, before Julian began pulling in through the window. "Let me in!" he hissed, his eyes wide. "Come on, open the door!"

"Julian, you have a family," Dan said. "Go home."

"So does he!" Julian said, gesturing to Lucas.

"Yeah. The one we're trying to put back together. He's a part of the family. He needs to be here." Dan turned to Chris, "You have any objections? Because if you do, you're out and this becomes a family matter."

Chris shook his head, and Dan stepped on the pedal, sending the car lurching forward and to the right, leaving a bewildered Julian seconds to run and hide in the bush before the second guard took post.

"Ok. Here's what's going to happen. Chris, your job is to create a diversion, and Lucas, you're coming with me."

"Wait wait, diversion, why can't I run and hide?" Chris asked.

"You can't."

"Why not?"

Dan picked up the shotgun and cocked it back once. "You called shotgun."

Chris swallowed hard and looked dazed. "I really do not like this. This is what I get for trying to be the hero. They die, you know. "You'll be fine," Dan said, getting out of the car. Lucas and Chris followed suit." "You have two jobs,"

"Create a distraction," Chris said.

Dan gestured to the guard up ahead by the door to the warehouse. "And take out that guy."

"Whoa whoa, that's two jobs. I only asked for one."

"Too bad," Lucas said, taking his handgun and placing it in the waistline of his jeans. Energy filled his veins, made him feel lighter and...powerful. It was a dangerous feeling, but he was exhilarated.

Dan pulled Lucas aside and said, "Lucas...I know you and I have never seen eye to eye. But in order for this to work, I only ask once that you have my back. I need you to have my back, here."

"This isn't for you," Lucas said. "This is for Nathan." He swallowed hard as the words passed through his lips, words he never thought he would say, "So...yeah. I have your back."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm here aren't I?"

Dan nodded. "Let's go."

Lucas took out his gun, feeling it in his hands, and followed Dan through the bush around warehouse. His steps were careful, his gun aimed, his eyes peeled. They reached the side of the warehouse and spotted a guard looking through his phone. "There," Dan whispered. "Take him out."

Lucas aimed, took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the thug in the chest and sent him tumbling to the ground with one last breath of air.

"Chris is going to create a distraction," Dan said, hurrying to the back entrance of the warehouse. He stopped and turned to see Lucas standing over the man's dead body, looking forlorn. "Lucas!" he said, grabbing his son's arm. "We have no time for this, let's go." He looked Lucas dead in his sad eyes and said, "This was a part of it. You sure you still want in?"

Lucas took a deep breath and tore his eyes away from the man he had just killed, though a bad taste was left in his mouth. He nodded.

At the sound of a crash and a blaring car horn, Lucas and Dan rushed into the warehouse, as Dan shot the a thug in the head. "Go!" he shouted, "Cover me!"

Lucas took cover by a nearby post and shot a thug advancing on him in the stomach. He rushed forward, hearing the bullets leap from the lip of Dan's gun as they moved forward together. Dan took out three of the thugs in their way, while Lucas took out a fourth by shooting him in the leg. "There's Nathan. Nathan!"

Sure enough, Nathan sat tethered to a chair looking terrified. As soon as he saw his brother and father, relief washed over his face. Then confusion. "Luke? What're you doing here?"

"Saving your ass," Luke cursed, rushing forward to cut Nathan's tethers with the knife he kept in his pocket. He cut the tether on his legs first while Dan took out the remaining thugs in the warehouse. Lucas then cut Nathan's arms free and lifted him from the chair.

Standing for the first time in weeks, Nathan stumbled as his legs gave out. Lucas was right there to catch him, putting his arms around his shoulders. "Dan!" Lucas called. "I need help here."

Taking one last look, Dan rushed over and took Nathan by the other side. As quickly as they could, they rushed Nathan over to the side and hid him, while going back to shove Dimitri's half-dead body to sit in the chair instead, Lucas retying him and putting the black cloth over his head, rushing back to hide.

"You alright, Nate?" he asked, out of breath. "We might have to walk out of here."

"I can do it," Nate said wearily. He looked over to his big brother and smirked. "Nice look you got there Luke. A little too rugged for me. Your long hair looks a little girly."

Lucas laughed quietly, moving his hair from his eyes. "Long hair's gone when he get outta here."

"We might have to run," Dan whispered, crouching to Nathan's left.

"I don't know about that," Nathan said, taking a deep breath as he moved his leg.

"Don't worry. We're not going to let anything happen to you."

They quieted at the sound of loud footsteps advancing on Dimitri, and the lead thug shot four gunshots into his chest. As the lead gunman realized that they weren't alone, he raised his gun and ran back around. When he was gone, Dan asked, "You ready?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah. Let's get the fuck out of here." With Lucas on his left and Dan on his right, Nathan stood. They slowly made their way through the warehouse, peeking around every corner.

"Wait here," Dan said, going forward with the shotgun. Lucas put his arms around Nathan's shoulders and waited, being sure to point the handgun in front of him.

"Dan," Lucas said, and Dan turned to him. "Be careful."

Dan nodded only once and turned back, before Lucas heard rushed footsteps, and saw a man with a raised gun pointed towards the both of them.

"End Curtain!" he shouted.

"NO!" Dan screamed, and he ran to shield both his sons, only to receive two bullets in his lower back. He threw one arm around Nathan's shoulder, the other around Lucas', to have a man facing his two grown sons.

Nathan stared at his father and saw the light leave his eyes, and all he could do was hold him up as Dan's legs weakened, blood pouring out of his back.

"Dan..." Lucas said, struggling to hold him up as he wilted to the floor.

"Dad..." Nathan said. "Dad..."

Dan's legs crumpled from underneath him and he fell to the floor, arms akimbo. He heaved for breath, and Nathan could do nothing.

"How funny," the lead thug Sergei said. "A family affair!"

Lucas pointed his gun right at Sergei and pulled the trigger only to hear a clicking sound. He'd run out of ammo.

"No, no no," Sergei said, showing off his gun. "Easy."

Lucas held the empty gun and stood there, suddenly remembering...

"So messy," Sergei preached. "You know, there's probably a lesson to be learned here about greed. Your father, dead. My friends, dead. Your people, my people...one difference." He gestured with his gun, "You both will join them. I will not."

Lucas swiftly reached for the full one in his back pocket, shooting Sergei twice in the chest, until his body dropped down like a puppet whose strings had been cut loose. Nathan stood there, bewildered.

"Is he dead?" Lucas asked, advancing carefully towards Sergei's body while Nathan remained rooted to the spot.

A sound of more footsteps caused Lucas to point his gun up on alert. "Bravo! Bravo!" the voice of Officer Stevens penetrated the musty warehouse. "Put the gun down and step back," he said, pointing the gun at Lucas. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you?" Lucas shot back, putting the gun to the floor.

"He's a dirty cop, Luke," Nathan said, standing warily. He avoided staring at his father, who he knew was bleeding to death on the floor.

"What does it look like I am?" Officer Stevens sighed through gritted teeth, "What the hell, Nathan. This was supposed to be easy! You grab some dork, kill him, get paid, maybe seduce his wife at some point," Officer Stevens rambled while Lucas' hatred for the man grew rapidly in the passing minutes. "I mean, come on, do I have to everything myself?"

Officer Stevens raised his gun at the same time Lucas raised his, only for Julian to advance behind him and strike him in the back of a head with a lead pipe he saw lying by the entrance. He saw Nathan and Lucas, heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Hey."

Nathan turned back and crouched by Dan's side, gently shaking him. "Dad? Come on, Dad open your eyes."

"Dan," Lucas tried, his voice even and calm. "Dan, can you hear me?"

"Call 911!" Nathan shouted, every inch of his body trembling. "Dad, come on Dad, don't leave me like this."

Julian reached into his pocket and dialed not 911, but another number.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Driving a cop car. Definitely high up on Julian's bucket list. As he swerved through the streets of Tree Hill, a fatally wounded Dan in the backseat, he tried to keep his adrenaline in check. "How's he doing?"

"We gotta get him to a hospital!" Nathan shouted, as Dan's head was resting on his laps. He'd grown increasingly pale and his eyelids were fluttering, his breaths slow and deep.

"Hang on Dan," Lucas said, never thinking he would say the words. He could tell Nathan was minutes from falling apart, and he knew someone had to be the strong one. "Just hang on."

"I'm going as fast as I can," Julian shouted to the back, swerving to avoid road work on the street.

"Put the sirens on!" Nathan commanded.

"I don't know how!"

"It's the switch in the middle," Dan said, his voice hoarse and barely understandable.

Julian flipped the switch in the middle and the sirens came to life, blaring into the night as Julian pressed on the gas pedal, sending them flying down the streets.

"You're going to be OK, Dad," Nathan said, and he looked to Lucas desperately. "You're going to be OK."

Dan turned to Lucas, eyes shutting and opening, remembering in flashes when Lucas assaulted him after finding out about Keith. Dan remembered Karen visiting him in the prison cell, having the words, "MURDERER" painted on his wall...it all came rushing back as his presence on earth began to slowly fade.

Julian turned the car violently and came to a stop right in front of the hospital's emergency room doors, where he, Lucas, and Nathan, carried Dan through. Nurses and doctors rushed over with a gurney, setting Dan atop it and rushing him away without another word.

Nathan stood in the middle of the emergency room, stalking the hallways. Lucas had gone to fetch coffee and Julian was off somewhere else, leaving Nathan to contemplate the events of the past few hours. He'd been kidnapped, taken by murderers, beaten and nearly starved to death, and here he was still standing. Of all the emotions he could've been feeling, Nathan was simply in disbelief.

The doors in front of him opened and through the crowds, Nathan spotted the love of his life. She looked worn, tired, and terrified as her eyes washed over his surly frame. "Hi Hales," he said, his voice regaining some of its strength.

"Say that again," Haley breathed, tears falling down her angelic face.

"Hi Hales," Nathan said, and opened his arms as Haley ran into them, sobbing.

"I can't believe you're really here!" she cried, running a hand down his face, her fingers tracing the scars on his cheek and temple. "Are you OK?"

"I am now," Nathan breathed, bringing Haley's lips to melt onto his in a searing kiss, their arms wrapped around each other, and never letting go.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lucas could hear her from anywhere. Those heels, her stride, the sway of her hips. He was holding a cup of coffee in his hand when he saw her walk through the emergency room doors, her blonde hair falling off her shoulders "Luke!" she cried, running into his arms and holding him tightly.  
"Are you OK?" she asked, running her hand over his bruised face and cheeks, kissing each one before kissing his nose and finally, his lips. "I was so worried!"

"I'm here now," Lucas exhaled, holding Peyton tightly in his arms.

She ran her hand up his back and inhaled his scent, before pulling back and hitting him on the forearm. "Are you crazy?!" she hissed angrily, hitting him again.

"Peyton-" Lucas tried, but she kept striking at him, and at her fourth try her hands actually began to hurt. "Baby-"

"No, _no. _Do not call me baby. You could've gotten killed!" she cried, tears glistening in her green eyes. "And you didn't even tell me..."

"I didn't want you to worry," Lucas said desperately, wiping away at Peyton's tears. "I'm alright Peyton. I'm gonna be alright."

"Thank God," she said, tearing up again as Lucas held her. "I'm so glad you're OK! If something happened to you-"

"Hey, hey," Lucas soothed, moving Peyton's hair out of her face. "I'm just a little banged up..."

"Look at your face!" Peyton cried, kissing his wounds away frantically.

"I'm fine. I'm right here. Living, breathing. I'm right here with you," Lucas kissed Peyton chastely before palming her cheek. "Where's the baby?"

"I left her with your mother. I booked the first flight out as soon as I heard from Haley what you were up to."

"Where is Haley, anyway?" Lucas wondered, pulling Peyton close to him and holding her as they looked down the emergency room hallway. "...Oh," Lucas said, spotting Nathan and Haley locked in a passionate kiss just 15 feet away from him, through automatic doors. "There they are."

Lucas pulled Peyton's hand as they made their way through the emergency room, walking through the doors just as Nathan and Haley pulled apart. Haley exhaled a sigh of relief and threw herself into Lucas' arms. "Luke...I don't know how...thank you," she said, tearing up. "I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything. Best friend," Lucas added, smirking a little. "I'm always here for you, you know that."

"Even when it means running into a warehouse with a gun," Nathan said. "Good shooting, Luke. I'm impressed."

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Lucas asked, motioning to his brother.

"Stretching my legs," Nathan shot back, not before clapping Lucas on the shoulder. "Thanks a lot, man. You got me outta there."

"Wasn't just me," Lucas said, before the group turned to see an elderly doctor approach them carrying a chart.

"Mr. Scott?" he asked. He motioned to the room Nathan was supposed to be staying in, and the gang followed him inside. "I'm Dr. Larson, the attending on your father's case."

"How is he?" Nathan asked, sitting on the bed, Haley by his side. Lucas and Peyton listened attentively.

"Your father is out of surgery," Dr. Larson hesitated. "But due to the amount of blood loss, and his bad heart...it wasn't enough."

"So..." Nathan asked steadily. "So what does that mean?"

There was a flicker of remorse in Dr. Larson's blue eyes and he faltered. "All we can do now is keep him comfortable."

Nathan turned to Haley, who was speechless. He turned to his brother and sister-in-law and they said nothing, out of shock.

"So my dad's gonna die?" Nathan asked softly, turning to Lucas.

Dr. Larson was about to reply when Deb entered the room, pushing Lydia in a stroller, Jamie right beside her. "DAD!" Jamie hollered, running to his father's side.

"Jamie, hey!" Nathan returned, hugging his son with just as much ferocity and love. "It's so good to see you, buddy."

"I thought I'd never see you again," Jamie said, before his little face crumbled into heavy tears and he began to sob.

"Oh, Jamie," Nathan sighed, bringing his son into his arms. Jamie clutched him tight, crying into his shoulder. "It's OK, Son. I'm right here."

"Jamie, Daddy's OK," Haley said, crouching beside him and rubbing his back.

"I thought...ss...something bad happ...happened," Jamie sobbed, barely understandable.

"I'm just a little messed up," Nathan tried. "But I'm alright."

"It's good to see you too, Dad! I just wanted to say..." Jamie cried, his sobs wrecking his little body.

"What is it?" Nathan whispered, wiping the tears off his son's face.

"I just wanted to say I love you, Dad!" Jamie cried, burrowing into Nathan's chest again.

"I love you too, Son," Nathan said fiercely, running a hand through Jamie's hair. "It's all gonna be OK."

Jamie's tears brought tears to both Haley and Peyton, and nearly everyone in the room was crying. "No more crying," Haley said, rubbing Jamie's back. "Be happy Daddy's home."

"I am!" Jamie said, taking a deep breath, wiping away at the rest of his tears. "I know Scott men are supposed to be tough-"

"Hey," Nathan said firmly. "Of course we are. But crying doesn't make you weak, Jamie."

"It doesn't?"

Haley shook her head. "It means you're strong. But not many people know that."

For the first time in a while, Jamie smiled. "You cry all the time, Mom. But you're also pretty strong."

"Your mom's the strongest woman I know, kid," Peyton said, ruffling Jamie's hair.

Haley smiled, while Lucas and Nathan shared a worried glance. Dr. Larson didn't say it, but they both saw it in his eyes: Dan was dying.

"Where's Nate?" Brooke demanded, waltzing into the room with Julian at her tail. She gave Nathan the biggest hug she could before he could greet her, squeezing him tightly and kissing his cheek. "I knew you were gonna be OK," she told him. "It's so good to see you."

"Thanks for coming," Nathan offered.

"Are you kidding me? Of course." Brooke pulled away and her face fell, tears entering her eyes. "...Peyton?"

"Hi B. Davis," Peyton said shyly, walking towards her best friend.

"What're you... oh my God!" she said, falling into Peyton's embrace. They hugged fiercely, as they hadn't seen each other since Brooke's wedding eight months ago. "I can't believe you're here!"

"It's like I was never taken," Nathan announced, and the room laughed.

"You look good," Brooke said, running her hand down a strand of Peyton's hair. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Well when I found out Luke went to go rescue Nate, I called Deb and got on the first flight over here. He didn't even tell me that he was going to run into a warehouse full of men with guns."

"You didn't tell her?" Brooke reprimanded, turning to Luke. "What is it with you and your hero complex?"

"I was wondering the same thing!"

"It's good to see you too, Brooke," Lucas said, unfazed. He brought his hand down to Peyton's to hold and she squeezed it tightly. Right then he knew that she wasn't angry with him. At least not anymore.

Lucas saw that Nathan had gravitated silently to the hallway, and he followed him. "You alright, Nate?"

Nathan turned to him and Lucas could see the worry in his brother's eyes. He sighed and said, "He's dying, Luke. Dr. Larson didn't say it, but you and I both know it. What're we gonna do?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Haley broke the news of Dan dying to Jamie, he was a sobbing mess all over again. It took Haley, and Peyton, _and Brooke_ half an hour to calm him down and talk to him. Lucas was watching the whole thing from afar, switching from Nathan's room to the hallway, his mind too busy spinning to keep his body still. Dan was dying. After years, after sometimes sadistically wishing it to come true, it was finally happening.

"Hey," Peyton said softly, handing him her half drunk cup of coffee. "You OK?" she asked, running a hand down her arm. She motioned for them to sit down in two empty nearby chairs.

"You ever get the feeling of 100 different emotions at once, and you can't name a single one? And they're rushing over you like a tidal wave, and suddenly you're immobilized?"

"Yeah," Peyton said softly, grabbing Luke's hand. "That's the feeling I got when my mom and Ellie died."

"Dan's dying," he said, even though Peyton knew already. "After all these years..." he sighed and his sentence remained unfinished.

"Do you want to go see him?" she asked gently.

"I guess I have to," he said.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Luke. You don't owe Dan anything."

"Babe, I would've agreed with you before tonight. But...I went in with him, I helped him get Nate. I watched him get shot...I think I have to."

"OK," Peyton said simply. "I'll be here."

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Lucas said. "I should've told you my plans. I just-"

"It's OK. All this talk about kidnapping and death...I'm just glad you're OK," she said, trying to hold back her tears. Lucas leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. "I love you, Lucas."

"I love you too, my beautiful wife," Lucas breathed into her ear. "I can't wait to get you home."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Just as Jamie was exiting from what very well may've been his final conversation with his grandfather, Nathan and Lucas stood outside the room. "You ready to do this?'

Nathan appeared zoned out and nearly jumped when he saw his brother standing there. "Hm?"

"I asked if you were ready to go and see Dan. You alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I am." Nathan scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Hey- can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Did Dan ever...ever tell you- did he ever tell you why he killed Keith?" Nathan asked in one breath.

Lucas stiffened and his body washed over in a cold chill. He remembered in flashes a few years ago, when Julian first came to Tree Hill and wanted to make _An Unkindness of Ravens _into a movie. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"What'd he say?" Nathan asked, shocked.

Lucas leaned off the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. ""Every story needs a villain.' He might tell you if you ask, though."

"You think?"

"Yeah. He's always had a different relationship with you than he did with me."

"Do you ever want to know?" Nathan asked shyly.

"I used to," Lucas admitted. "But I don't anymore. What's done is done. Whether or not I know won't bring Keith back."

Nathan nodded, and the two of them made their way into Dan's hospital room. He was lying in a bed, wearing a scratchy blue hospital gown and a nasal cannula. His eyes were sunken in with circles under his eyes, his face as pale as his own sheets. He turned slightly, wincing in pain, to see his two sons at the foot of the bed. "Didn't think you would stay," he croaked, heaving heavy, shallow breaths in and out.

"Dad," Nathan said, although his voice was in echoes. "Why'd you do it, Dad?"

Lucas turned to him in surprise.

Dan closed his eyes and saw Keith staring back at him. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'm so sorry," his eyes fluttered closed again and Keith began to fade, dimmer into nothing and then brighten again like a firefly in summertime.

"Dad?" Nathan asked, shaking his father's legs. The machines hooked up to Dan began to drone as he started to slip away. "No...no come on, Dad!"

Lucas ran out of the room to fetch the nurse, who ran back in and peeked at Dan's chart. "I'm sorry," she said. "Your father signed a DNR."

Lucas heart sank into his chest and he felt gutted. "No...no, he couldn't have. He never told me..."

"I'm sorry," the nurse said again.

"There's nothing we can do, Nathan," Dr. Larson said, entering the room with a somber look on his face.

"But...no. He's..." The machines droned once more as Dan went systolic, taking one last breath and slipping away.

Lucas and Nathan stared at each other, two brothers reunited, only to share one common loss. The next thing Lucas remembered was having to catch Nathan as his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, suffocated by grief. As Haley, Peyton, and Deb ran in, Lucas told Nathan he'd always be there for him, no matter what, because they were brothers. It meant everything.

**THE END**


End file.
